The LCS finals just took place on April 24, 2022 with some impressive viewership numbers, but it wasn't enough to overtake the LEC.
Throughout the last few years, we've witnessed a decline in viewership for the LCS. Fewer people seem to care for the region, and Riot is doing everything in their power to try and bring viewership up once more.
So, this year, with restrictions on public events loosening after two-years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LCS hosted a huge finals event in Houston, Texas. So, how does viewership look now?
LEC vs. LCS Viewership
The LEC did not have a huge arena for their 2022 Spring Split finals. Instead, Rogue and G2 faced off in the regular LEC Studios in Berlin, Germany in front of a small crowd of dedicated fans.
Of course, the LEC made up for their small venue with a big production and a great show overall, raking in over 735,000 peak viewers during the final between Rogue and G2, according to esports charts.
The LCS on the other hand had one of the biggest events in a long time at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The semi-finals and finals took place on the same weekend, as well as the 2022 MSI group draw show.
The result? According to esports charts, the 2022 LCS finals had a peak viewership of just over 387,000. That's only 80,000 more than the peak viewership of the CBLoL which many consider a 'minor' region. Of course, we don't know if these numbers also include the viewers from the official co-streams, which were also taking place during the event.
LCK Was The Most Viewed Region – Even In the West
While the LEC reigns supreme over its western counterparts, there is one region that stands above them all when it comes to peak viewership, and that is the LCK. The 10-year anniversary of the LCK took center stage ahead of this year's finals between T1 and Gen.G with a classy opening.
The four-game-series raked in a peak viewership of 1,374,155. Not only that, but regular season games between T1 and Gen.G as well as T1 and DAMWON KIA, also peaked at over 800,000 and 760,000 viewers.
Even the semi-finals between Gen.G and DAMWON KIA had a peak viewership of 736,000. This just goes to show that while the LCK might be the Korean league, it is one of the most viewed leagues even in the west.
Now, the question remains, how many people will tune in to the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational?